Learning curve

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The term learning curve refers to a relationship between the duration of learning or experience and the resulting progress. Initially introduced in cognitive psychology, over time the term has acquired a broader interpretation, and expressions such as "experience curve", "improvement curve", "cost improvement curve", "progress curve"/"progress function", "startup curve", and "efficiency curve" are often used interchangeably, depending on the context. Some of these terms may also have other meanings.

In the immediate context of learning, "steep learning curve" is used in two opposite contexts. Originally it referred to quick progress in learning during the initial stages followed by gradually lesser improvements with further practice.^[1] The progress may be measured in different ways, e.g., prediction/recognition accuracy vs. the number of training samples.^[2] Over time, the misapprehension has emerged that a "steep" learning curve means that something requires much effort to learn because of the natural association of the word "steep" with a slope which is difficult to climb. This has led to disagreements even among "learned" people.^[3]

Another specific context of the term "learning curve" involves the effort required to acquire a new skill (e.g., expertise with a new tool) over a specific period of time. In this context, expressions such as "fast learning curve", "short learning curve", and "steep learning curve" are used.^{[citation needed]} This context involves a different interpretation of fast initial progress vs. time—namely, the amount of progress required at each stage of learning. In this sense, "steep learning curve" represents the need to make significant progress in the initial stages so that a person may start using the new skill with reasonable efficiency, a need often associated with increased efforts in learning. Conversely, the expressions gradual or flat learning curve imply that the acquisition of a skill may be gradual, so that a reasonable use of the new skill is possible at early stages with a relatively light amount of training.^{[citation needed]}

The concept of the learning curve was introduced by the 19th-century German psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus in his study of the efficiency of memorization. Ebbinghaus tested his long-term memory by attempting to memorize a series of nonsense syllables. He found that the more he repeated the series, the more of it he could remember, until finally he could recall the whole list. (In the same context, Ebbinghaus also introduced the term "forgetting curve".^[4])

In 1936, Theodore Paul Wright described the effect of learning on labor productivity in the aircraft industry and proposed a mathematical model of the learning curve.^[5]

[edit] See also

• Experience curve effects

[edit] References

1. ^ Ritter, F. E., & Schooler, L. J. The learning curve. In International Encyclopedia of the Social and Behavioral Sciences (2002), 8602-8605. Amsterdam: Pergamon
2. ^ Y. Kenneth and S. Gerald, "Sparse Representations for Fast, One-Shot Learning". MIT AI Lab Memo 1633, May 1998.
3. ^ "Laparoscopic Colon Resection Early in the Learning Curve", Ann Surg. 2006 June; 243(6): 730–737, see the "Discussions" section, Dr. Smith's remark about the usage of the term "steep learning curve".
4. ^ Hermann Ebbinghaus (1885) "Über das Gedächtnis", translated as "Memory: A Contribution to Experimental Psychology".
5. ^ Wright, T.P., "Factors Affecting the Cost of Airplanes", Journal of Aeronautical Sciences, 3(4) (1936): 122–128.